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Sen. Rand Paul ran an infamously inept campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 when he was under the delusion that the time had arrived when the nation couldnt live without him.

So, having fallen on his face in pursuit of the White House once, might he settle for the number two job instead?

The Republican race for president in 2024 is undoubtedly going to heat up sooner rather than later with the primary season less than a year away. Several contenders are indicating they arent intimidated by the presence of former President Donald J. Trump who, as the result of pending criminal investigations, may face reduced time on the campaign trail anyway.

Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has already entered the contest with Trump, maintaining the time has arrived for a new generation to take command, contrasting her relative youth with The Donalds 76 years. But theres questions about her appeal to the new, confrontational, and aggressive Republican Party that Trump has wrought.

That old book banner, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump without the personality, is also taking a look-see and is expected to take the plunge.

Others more in the also-ran category are trying to keep their names above sea level hoping for some opportunity to present itself. That list includes former Vice President Mike Pence, who likely will be the target of Trumps wrath if he dips his toe in, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is an unlikely recipient of unbounded GOP adoration, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who may throw her name out there if she believes it will place her on a glide path to the vice presidency.

Of the bunch youd have to like Trump, who has created a real cult of personality within the party, as unsettling as that reality might be. Hes obviously the best known, hell have plenty of dough as long as no one asks where it came from, and if more than two or three others enter the race theyll likely knock each other out. DeSantis is thought to be gaining ground, but how much appeal he might generate among general election voters might scare some GOP regulars off.

Regardless, whoever grabs the ring is going to need a running mate and Paul, R-Bowling Green, is a name making the Republican rounds. Paul Bedard, a writer for the Washington Examiner, sort of a house organ for DC right-wingers, recently claimed that Paul, according to the headline accompanying the article, could be the secret to winning the White House.

While there are a lot of choices, the early betting is on a Capitol Hill firebrand uniquely poised to bring in the libertarian wing of the GOP, a bump of potentially 3%-4% of the vote, Bedard wrote.

And that firebrand? Rand Paul, of course.

Bedard quoted an individual he identified as an adviser to House Republicans who is also close to several past conservative presidential candidates, unidentified, of course, who said Paul as VP eliminates the need for a libertarian nominee or third-party candidate. And having that extra 3 percent-4 percent moving to the Republican ticket in 10-12 key states would be the margin of victory.

Well, maybe. But any party counting on the vice-presidential nominee to bolster the vote by more than a handful of votes, not to mention his or her home state, probably is whistling past the graveyard.

But it figures that Paul, at this stage, merits consideration in a party where cruelty and callousness are considered assets. He has frequently shown that he is more than willing to take on the so-called deep state, harassing Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Bidens one-time chief health advisor who led that fight against COVID-19, in an unusually nasty fashion. He undoubtedly will be willing to take on woke Democrats whatever the hell woke is supposed to mean and he is not particularly fond of government even though he is part of it.

It should also be noted that he was most recently re-elected to the Senate in 2022 for a third term, which means he will retain his seat for four more years should any ticket hes hooked on lose. Hes palsy-walsy with Trump, even though the two insulted each other incessantly during the 2016 campaign. They kissed and made up where every Republican works things out on the golf course. DeSantis might want him, should he win the nomination, as a means of convincing Trump loyalists, whose hair will be on fire should their messiah lose, to jump aboard.

Thats not to say Paul would be a perfect choice. He is not the chambers biggest supporter of the military, taking, for the most part, an isolationist view and heres the rub suggesting that it might be necessary to cut the defense budget to bring spending under control.

Paul is not thrilled with the situation in Ukraine. He once held up $40 million in aid to Kyiv and has in the past been blacklisted by the government there. It should be noted that status may not hurt him with Republican primary voters, who are growing in their opposition to U.S spending and involvement. At the same time it might be poison to be considered pro-Russia, something any intraparty opposition that crops up will be sure to use against him.

In his most recent phony-baloney budget proposal something he offers to reduce the debt every year Paul suggested 6 percent cuts across the board, excluding Social Security but including Medicare and Medicaid. In the past, however, he has suggested raising the age for Social Security eligibility and some sort of means testing for the program. That might not play well.

But Paul is a White guy from a reliably Republican state with a modest national following, an ultra-conservative voting record on domestic issues and a mean streak. If that doesnt fill out the partys job requirements nothing does. If he can somehow develop a personality within the next few months you might have a winner.

There is one good thing if Paul is the GOP candidate for vice president somebody even worse wont get it.

Its been suggested that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, and erstwhile Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, two legitimate whackos, are thought to be jockeying for the slot. And if Trump takes the crown, anything is possible.

In that case, no matter how hard it might be, its a case of Go Rand Go.

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